• Decide what you want from a service. Most offer fertilizing, weed and lawn-damaging pest control, aerating, mowing, and small tree and shrub
• Inquire about the company’s philosophy and methods. Do they use long-acting fertilizers? (That’s good). Do they routinely spray for pests or problems that you haven’t experienced? (That may be bad.) Do they check your soil before recommending a fertilization program? (Another good sign.)
• Talk to neighbors who use lawn services. This is a good way to determine which services operate in your area and to get a homeowner’s recommendations.
• Are they insured? VERY important. If not insured properly, you could be liable for accidents or injuries during their time on your property. Make sure you check for proof of insurance (make a photo copy if need be). Make sure the company’s name is on the policy, make note of what the policy number is, expiration date, insurance company’s phone number, etc. It is wise to call the insurance company ahead of time and verify that the policy is valid.
• Request a lawn inspection and a free estimate of service costs from the company. Beware of companies that quote guaranteed annual prices without having seen your lawn.
• Ask about prices and what services are included. Some companies require a yearly contact; others work on verbal agreements that can be discontinued by the customer at any time. Find out what happens if you have a problem between applications. Will there be a charge for these service calls?
• Check to see if you can save money by paying an annual fee up front. This method is more convenient than paying after each treatment.
• Understand what services the company is proposing to provide before work starts. Find out what treatments are included, approximately when they will be applied, and what results can be expected.
• Find out what is guaranteed. Some will assure performance, and others will refund your money if the work is unsatisfactory.
• Make sure the service is licensed to apply lawn-care products as required by your state.
• Check with your local Better Business Bureau to find more information on a specific lawn-care company’s service record.
• Ask what kind of fertilizers, pest control products, and other lawn products the service uses. If being eco-friendly is important to you and your family, ask about effective green pest control.
• Ask about prior experience and ask for referrals. Any neighborhood kid can mow your lawn, but not everyone can provide expert service and care to keep your yard healthy and to control pests naturally and effectively.
• Ask for a quote in writing -When you have identified companies that have provide the services you need, type out your lawn care needs and ask for a quote from several providers.  This will help you compare prices, and will also give you a good idea about their professionalism, response time, and customer service.  In addition to service prices, find out what type of notice they provide before doing quarterly services, and what services they might recommend that you did not include in your specs, and why they would recommend those services.  Invite each company to send a representative out to evaluate your individual situation.  A reputable company will be willing to pay you a visit in order to gain you as a customer.

Keeping your lawn mowed at the proper height throughout the season offers several benefits. These include strong root development, healthy growth of grass blades, lower risk of diseases and insect problems, and fewer problems with thatch and weed control. Factors affecting mowing frequency include grass type, weather and fertilization schedules.

Never cut too much off the grass blade at one time. Removing more than one-third of the height of the grass causes the grass to thin. This not only creates a poor-looking lawn, but also leaves the yard more susceptible to diseases and insect infestations. If lawn mowing gets away from you during the season, bring the grass back under control by mowing more frequently than usual, slightly decreasing the height setting on your mower each time until grass reaches the recommended height. By comparison, excessively tall grass encourages thatch buildup in warm-season varieties. Thatch can also build up if  mowing frequency is too sporadic or spread out.  Letting grass grow too long causes the crown of the plant to “rise up” above the soil and when next mowed removes even more of the leaf blade, this further stresses the plant.

Weekly mowing schedules work best for all lawns

This depends on the variety of grass plants in your lawn. In general, the longer you let your lawn grow, the deeper the root system will develop, thereby increasing its chance of withstanding periods of drought and severe heat. Higher grass also allows for increased ground cover to help protect soil from drying out and lets the grass absorb more sunlight. Taller, thicker grass also slows the flow of water allowing more time to soak in to the soil. Conversely, if you cut too low, your lawn may develop a shallow root system, making it susceptible to drying out and requiring more maintenance to stay healthy. Additionally, too low a cut may also provide just enough sunlight for weeds to germinate and gain a foothold.

Most varieties of residential lawn do best when kept between 3 and 3 1/2 inches.

Leaving clippings on your grass returns essential nutrients to the grass, cutting fertilizer requirements by 25 percent.

Many people believe leaving grass clippings on the lawn encourages thatch, a layer of roots, stems and other organic material that builds up between the grass and soil. Too much thatch causes problems because it blocks sunlight and moisture from the soil. Grass clippings do not cause thatch, however, because they are 80 to 85 percent water and break down very quickly.

In some situations it is beneficial to remove grass clippings, such as when there is disease (fungal, viral, etc) in areas on the lawn. Discharging these clippings may enable the disease to spread over other areas of the lawn.

While our company has the capability to bag grass clippings, we wholly advocate the practice of leaving them. This is better for the environment- less fuel required to haul clippings away and process them, reduction in required fertilizer, food source for beneficial organisms- and healthier for your lawn overall.

Water in the early morning, early morning watering is a good idea for lawn and garden care throughout the year; but, during a heat wave, it is particularly useful in fighting evaporation, which dries out your lawn and garden. It also saves water and prevents disease by allowing the water to soak into the soil and the lawn/plant to dry before nightfall.

Water deeply. Light and frequent watering might seem like a good idea for a parched lawn. But in fact, a deep watering two or three times a week works best, particularly during heat waves. Deeper watering helps the lawn extend its roots deeper into the soil, where moisture can be found even after the top inch or two of soil dries out.

A best practice to deep watering is to water for approximately 10 minutes, wait 10 minutes and then water for 30 minutes or whatever time is required. This allows the initial watering to permeate the top layer breaking the “dust crust” and allowing the next watering to soak into the soil rather than running off taking soil and nutrients with it.

Keeping your lawn cut tall promotes deeper roots enhancing drought tolerance thereby reducing the need for watering. Taller, thicker grass also slows the flow of water allowing more time to soak in to the soil. This saves you money and helps the environment by reducing fertilizer/pesticide and soil runoff keeping our waterways cleaner and clearer.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is an effective and environmentally sensitive approach to pest management that relies on a combination of common-sense practices. IPM programs use current, comprehensive information on the life cycles of pests and their interaction with the environment. This information, in combination with available pest control methods, is used to manage pest damage by the most economical means, and with the least possible hazard to people, property, and the environment.

The IPM approach can be applied to both agricultural and non-agricultural settings, such as the home, garden, and workplace. IPM takes advantage of all appropriate pest management options including, but not limited to, the judicious use of pesticides. In contrast, organic food production applies many of the same concepts as IPM but limits the use of pesticides to those that are produced from natural sources, as opposed to synthetic chemicals.

Generally speaking, this depends on the product used and its form of delivery.

Your lawn will not benefit from dry fertilizer products until the product is watered in. In most cases however, you can safely wait a few days for rain without worry. The exceptions would be if you have children or pets who want to play on the lawn, or if the temperatures are expected to exceed 85° F. In these instances, we recommend watering the lawn right after a fertilizer application, but only lightly enough to wash the product into the soil. Overwatering after fertilizer/pesticide application will wash the product away in the runoff and into stormwater systems.

Liquid fertilizer or pesticides require a minimum of 24-48 hours before re-entry for the product to be absorbed into the soil or plants. This time frame will differ depending on the product used.

Overseeding simply refers to applying grass seed over an existing lawn to help increase turf density. It is also used to help keep southern lawns green year-round during winter dormancy of the permanent turf. Overseeding a lawn that is more than 10 years old is a great way to revitalize the lawn with some of the newest grass varieties that have been developed by professional grass breeders.

Grass grows best in cooler soil and air temperatures. This would be late winter/early spring or late summer/early fall.

We recommend seeding in September as first choice and Late March as second choice.  These times are entirely dependent on weather conditions and will be adjusted as required.  Late March seeding with snow on the ground is not feasible just as September seeding while temps are high with little rainfall is not practical.

Grass seed may be applied by sowing it directly on the top of the ground through a spreader or hand-casting. A slice seeder is advantageous in that the grass seed falls into slits in the soil. This enhances ground contact with the seed, minimizes seed runoff in the event of heavy rain and reduces the seed loss to seed-eating birds. This also loosens the top layer of soil allowing the new seedling to dig its roots in deeper more easily.

Thatch in lawns is often misunderstood; both its cause and control. Some lawns have serious thatch problems while others do not. Thatch is a layer of living and dead organic matter that occurs between the green matter and the soil surface. Excessive thatch (over 1/2 inch thick) creates a favorable environment for pests and disease, an unfavorable growing environment for grass roots, and can interfere with some lawn care practices.

The primary component of thatch is turfgrass stems and roots. It accumulates as these plant parts buildup faster than they breakdown. Thatch problems are due to a combination of biological, cultural, and environmental factors. Cultural practices can have a big impact on thatch. For example, heavy nitrogen fertilizer applications or overwatering frequently contribute to thatch, because they cause the lawn to grow excessively fast. Avoid overfertilizing and overwatering. Despite popular belief, short clippings dropped on the lawn after mowing are not the cause of thatch buildup. Clippings are very high in water content and breakdown rapidly when returned to lawns after mowing, assuming lawns are mowed on a regular basis (not removing more than one-third of the leaf blade).

Lawns that are not mowed frequently enough can grow too tall, allowing the crown of the grass plant to grow to far above the soil surface contributing greatly to thatch problems.

Thatch may be torn out with a dethatcher or vertical mower, but will most likely return unless the cause is corrected. Mechanical dethatching is also very destructive to the lawn because roots are in thatch instead of soil, so plants tear out easily. Overseeding is usually required afterwards. For this reason, it’s best to tear out thatch in late August for optimum reseeding timing.

Core aeration followed by topdressing are two methods that will generally correct the reasons thatch is accumulating. Core aeration will pull up small soil cores to the soil surface that are left there to act like topdressing. The holes created help solve problems such as compaction or poor drainage. Topdressing is simply adding a thin layer(1/8 to 1/4 inch) of compatible soil (preferably compost) over the thatch, which adds microorganisms to help in breakdown.

We use a specialized machine that de-thatches and overseeds simultaneously to save on your costs and stress to the existing grass plants.

We are also able to broadcast topdress with compost over larger areas using special equipment.

Aerating is the process of punching holes (usually 3-4 Inches deep) into your lawn to allow water, oxygen, fertilizers, and other nutrients to penetrate the soil and better reach the roots of your grass. Aerating is usually done by pushing hollow cylinders into the ground and forcing out plugs of soil to the lawn surface. Spikes are also used to aerating, but are not usually as effective. Because spikes do not remove “plugs” from the ground, they do not create holes in the soil for expansion and in some cases, weed prevention. Aerating can also help in breaking up the buildup of thatch in your lawn.

The need for aerating a lawn generally stems from compacting from heavy use such as foot traffic, automobiles, etc.. Typically, the more clay you have in your soil, the more susceptible your lawn is to compacting. Your lawn requires three elements for survival – moisture (water), nutrients, and air. When your lawn gets heavily compacted, its roots get deprived of the air they need to survive and grow. Additionally, aerating also allows water and nutrients to better penetrate into the soil and to the grass roots. If you have problems with pooling of water in your lawn, or are on a steep slope or grade, aerating can help to trap the water and allow it to absorb more easily into the ground. If you have a small buildup of thatch each year, aerating generally solves this problem as well

With the exception of some plants e.g. Roses, Ornamental Grasses, etc it is recommended to prune twice yearly. Shrubs, including yews and Ilex, or hollies, can grow fast and need trimming twice annually to prevent excessive plant growth, keep them from encroaching on walks and drives, and promote health through proper air circulation.

Keeping these plants well trimmed will extend their useful lifespan by maintaining the desired size and shape, preventing them from overgrowing their spot in the landscape, and reduce the stresses of crowding other plants in the landscape

It is also recommended to keep all plant material trimmed away from structures (house, garage, etc.) Plants that contact these structures provide a highway for pests (insects, squirrel, etc.) to invade your home.

Whenever unexpected damage from vandalism or bad weather occurs, prune at once.

Mulch helps control soil temperature and is an effective method of preventing weed growth. Mulch prevents light from reaching the soil surface, denying young weeds the opportunity to build a root system. As well as inhibiting weed growth, organic mulches add nutrients to the soil as it decays and improves soil structure to prevent soil compaction (often resulting from heavy rains or harsh sun.) A layer of 2-5 inches of organic mulch is recommended for a good, effective covering. Applied correctly, mulch can eliminate or greatly reduce the need for trimming and weed removal in your lawn and garden. It can also provide a very attractive ground cover in your display beds.

Mulch enables the soil in gardens and landscapes to retain the levels of oxygen necessary for the growth of healthy root structures in decorative plants, flowers, and shrubs. Mulch also serves to protect the surface roots of trees and shrubbery from injuries caused by string trimmers and lawn mower blades. And if these benefits weren’t enough to convince you to use mulch in your gardens and landscaping, consider that mulch helps to provide shelter to earthworms and other beneficial organisms that serve to aerate the soil in your garden and landscape beds.

Instead of planting grass all the way up to the base of the tree or all the way around the mailbox or flagpole, leave a circle of mulch or ground cover instead. It’s easier for mowing, and for fertilizing lawns or weed control it’s nice to have a buffer between the lawn and trees. It also protects the tree from trimmers and mowers, holds moisture in the soil, and presents an attractive order to the landscape.